Downloads

Many users don't realize that when it comes to files, deleted doesn't equal gone. When you delete a file, it's removed from a table or directory, but the physical sectors that comprised the storage area for the file still contain its data. That's why you can recover deleted files if you haven't written anything else to the hard drive. To make sure sensitive data is truly erased, you need a program like Prevent Restore.

Simply put, Prevent Restore overwrites any currently unused sectors on a partition with spaces, random integers, or random characters. It's a simple as that--and though you may have heard rumors that the government has some super sophisticated methods of recovering overwritten data, the average Joe or corporate spy sure won't. It's pretty much gone.

Prevent Restore is easy to use, with several dialogs stepping you through the process. I used a sector editor to check the overwritten sectors and they indeed contained the random numbers I'd set the program to overwrite with and none of the data in the files I'd recently deleted was visible.

My only problem with Prevent Restore is the dearth of information on its Web site. I could find no minimum system specs or even which Windows operating systems it was compatible with. There was also no reply to my query via the support form I filled out. This could all be perfectly innocent, but call me paranoid--if I'd had any choice I'd have opted not to give the company my e-mail address (stalwart reviewer that I am--I provided mine). At least until they provided theirs.

Note: This link takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

--Jon L. Jacobi